1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an information reproduction apparatus for optically reading a code pattern recorded in an optically readable manner on a recording medium such as paper, and reproducing original multimedia information corresponding to the code pattern, the multimedia information including audio information such as voice and music, image information obtained by a camera, a video camera, etc., and digital code data obtained by a personal computer, a word processor, etc.
The invention also relates to a code sheet which records control information for the information reproduction apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are known various conventional mediums for recording voice, music, etc., such as magnetic tapes and optical disks. Each of these mediums, however, is relatively expensive even if a great number of copies are produced, and requires a relatively large place to store them. Further, in the case, for example, of an audio medium with voices recorded therein, it requires a great amount of labor and time to transfer it to a remote place directly or by mail. The same can be said of so-called multimedia information other than the audio information, such as image information obtained by a camera, a video camera, etc., digital code data obtained by a personal computer, a word processor, etc.
To deal with the above problem, EP 0,670,555 A1 (corresponding to U.S. Ser. No. 08/407,018) discloses a system capable of transmitting, by facsimile, multimedia information which includes at least one of audio information, image information and digital code data, also capable of recording image information which can be copied at low cost in great quantities, i.e. encoded information, on a recording medium (such as paper) in the form of a two-dimensional code pattern including a plurality of dots, and capable of reproducing the multimedia information.
In the disclosed system, there may be a case where the volume of a voice (in the case of audio information) should be varied at the time of reproducing original multimedia information corresponding to a read code pattern.
In such a system, however, control of reproduction output is not considered.